Education

Class dismissed

The city plans to close lots of schools

THE news that parents had been dreading came on March 21st. As many as 54 of Chicago’s 681 schools have been earmarked for closure. Most of them are doing poorly, need costly repairs, or are undersubscribed: they are part of a system with more than 100,000 empty desks across the city. If the proposals are all approved by the Board of Education in May, the result will be one of the largest closures of schools ever seen in America. It will affect around 30,000 pupils.

The municipal agency that runs the city’s schools faces a $1 billion deficit for each of the next three fiscal years. Although shutting schools is unpopular, it would help the agency, Chicago Public Schools (CPS), to save $43m a year. The policy, under discussion for some time, was the subject of negotiations during a teachers’ strike last year.

Earlier this month a commission concluded that as many as 80 schools needed to be closed. Although the actual number now threatened is considerably fewer, the Chicago Teachers Union has greeted the news with outrage. It has vowed to fight the decision and Karen Lewis, head of the union, says the closures will cause chaos. No doubt about that: on March 13th the union said it would sponsor training for its members and for parents in non-violent protest such as occupations, demonstrations and other forms of disruption.

The union is upset that the proposal affects black districts more than most. But this is thanks to demography, not racism. The declining enrolment figures for Chicago’s inner-city schools are caused principally by “black flight” to the suburbs. The 2010 census found 17% fewer blacks in Chicago than a decade previously. (Around 180,000 had left.) Another reason for the decline in enrolment in traditional public schools is the growing popularity of charter schools. Demand for these remains huge: almost 20,000 children are on the waiting list.

CPS is trying to sweeten its proposals by promising to invest in the schools that will get more pupils as the system is consolidated. It is promising new libraries, computer and science laboratories, air-conditioning and even iPads. The agency will also spend money protecting children who move to new schools, so that they can move safely across gang lines.

Although most parents would accept that some schools need to be closed, few want to risk disruption to their own children’s learning. The stage is set for an emotional battle. This comes at a politically difficult time for Rahm Emanuel, Chicago’s mayor, who is also struggling to curb a wave of murders in the city. One consolation for him, perhaps, is that although his school-closure programme is large, it is not unique. Philadelphia is soon to close 23 schools, and in 2010 Kansas City shut 29 schools, almost half.

Many American cities need to reduce the number of half-empty schools in this age of reduced resources. In Philadelphia, it cost $18,250 per child, per year to educate our children from kindergarten through grade 12. That cost is 30% higher than the national average of about $14,000. Much of this cost is due to fantastic pensions where retirees earn up to 80% of their working salaries, in addition to early retirement. and medical coverage until Medicare kicks in at 65. Given this reality, President Obama's idea of starting school at age 4 is nothing but blue sky dreams. Besides, do we really want the state involved in our family responsibilities to raise our own children? I am reminded of Plato's Republic where the Guardians take over all parental responsibilities. How'd that work out?